Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp – ditch the take-out!

posted on February 12, 2015 by Megan Kohrs

A healthy spin on Chinese takeout, this Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp is tossed with a sweet and spicy Greek yogurt sauce and topped with sweet walnuts!

Hey hey! It’s Megan from The Housewife in Training Files back again! If you couldn’t tell by now, I really have a craving for Chinese food! Last time we decided Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lettuce Wraps were a great idea and today, I have yet another healthier takeout recipe that rivals my love of lettuce wraps, Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp!

My husband would eat Chinese food every week if he could. I don’t blame him! It’s quick, tasty and you can get a few meals out of one takeout order. But in our love of making dishes at home rather than going out to eat, we have experimented with homemade versions of our takeout favorites quite often lately. One of my favorites is cashew chicken. The velvety sauce, the crunchy cashews and the crisp vegetables are pretty irresistible. So when the husband asked to have yet another favorite made over, who was I to say no?

The classic Honey Walnut Shrimp is a heavily battered dish doused in a mayo and honey based sauce. I am not going to lie. There is a time and place for those greasy and comforting dishes but most nights I will pass and opt for a healthy version. One that has me coming back for more, rather than running to the gym! I made over this dish by skipping the heavy batter, as I find it ends up soggy and unappetizing. The shrimp themselves are tender and sweet so I don’t feel like they need to hide under a greasy batter! As the batter went out the window, so did the idea of frying them. Mostly because frying scares the daylights out of me. Maybe too many bad memories (and scars) from culinary school? Regardless, we don’t need a fryer to make these puppies taste great! Lastly, I swapped out the mayo for greek yogurt, let the honey do the sweetening, and a touch of red pepper flakes for some spice (because I like living on the edge). The sauce is smooth and velvety but not overly sweet. The perfect pairing with the shrimp. One thing I did leave was the sugared walnuts. Because who can turn down sugary walnuts? But they are not doused in a heavy sugar coating, rather simmered in mixture of truvia and water to give them sweetness but not leave you with a broken tooth.

One thing that I did not makeover is the how quick this dish comes together! With a sauce that is whipped up in minutes while the shrimp cooks, you will throwing away that chinese takeout menu in no time!

Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

A healthy spin on Chinese takeout, this Skinny Honey Walnut Shrimp is tossed with a sweet and spicy greek yogurt sauce and topped with sugary walnuts!

Ingredients

Walnuts:

1/2 cup water

¼ cup truvia

½ cup walnuts halves

Sauce:

¼ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon salt

2 1/2 tablespoons honey

Shrimp:

1 tablespoon coconut oil

To serve:

Cooked white or brown rice, if desired

1 green onion, sliced, for garnish

Instructions

Walnuts:

Bring water & truvia to a boil in a small pot over medium high heat. Add the walnuts.

Boil 2 minutes, drain and place walnuts on a plate to allow to cool.

Sauce:

Shrimp:

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the coconut oil.

Add the shrimp and stir fry quickly until they start to turn pink and start to curl up like a ‘C’, about 3-4 minutes. Flip the shrimp over and let the shrimp cook another minute or two until no longer translucent.

Turn off the heat and remove the skillet from the heat. Drain off any liquid if any remains in the skillet. Add the Greek yogurt sauce and walnuts. Mix well.

To Serve:

Spoon over rice and top with green onions.

Notes

If you use different size shrimp than 30/41 count, your cooking times will vary either shorter for smaller shrimp or longer for larger shrimp.

Megan Kohrs

Megan is just a girl living on the edge of boredom and chaos with a salty wit and healthy sweet tooth. After a few health mishaps, she took ahold of her health through food and fitness. Although her taste buds crave nutrient dense foods, she also has a sweet tooth the size of Texas. She will be sure to throw in some indulgent recipes to ensure that sugary and sinful treats do still exist! Find more of Megan at www.thehousewifeintrainingfiles.com.

I made this tonight, and it was divine. I added in some balled honeydew melon and it was AMAZING.

Great idea!

I just made this, and I rarely come back to a website to comment, but THIS. WAS. DELICIOUS! And I don’t think it’s only because I’ve been dieting and was starving. Everyone in my family loved it, even those who were still full from lunch!!! Thanks for such a fast, delicious recipe, that takes hardly any ingredients! This will be in our regular rotation!

I rarely leave reviews but this dish was delicious and easy to prepare! Very similar in taste to the fattening dish in restaurants. Great job on the recipe! This one is a keeper!

So happy to hear that! Thanks for taking the time to comment!

I’ve made this twice now, and it was just OK each time. Without any breading, the flavor just doesn’t adhere or absorb well into the shrimp, the penalty for lowering the calories. I think that it might taste better with flavored greek yogurt (or regular yogurt) instead of plain. Again, a flavor penalty for reducing the calories. Also, the pepper needs to go in before the shrimp instead of in the honey blend; there’s no kick to the dish at all unless you accidentally bite into a pepper flake. The pepper really needs to be cooked to spread out.

I’ve been using this with Mike’s hot honey and it really kicks up the heat. Super good

Oooh I love that! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a comment!

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About Rachel COoks

Hi, I'm Rachel! This site features a wide variety of recipes with one common thread: easy preparations. I love creating accessible and delicious food that will please the whole family. Hope you enjoy! (more about me...)

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